CHAPEL HILL — Active in its effort but not tremendously effective in finishing certain situations, North Carolina’s 76-59 victory against Gardner-Webb in men’s basketball was accompanied by some season-opening kinks.

The 11th-ranked Tar Heels never lowered the boom to pull away — Gardner-Webb trailed by nine with less than 4˝ minutes remaining — during what became a less-than-fluid performance Friday night at the Smith Center.

“I’m disappointed in how we played,” North Carolina coach Roy Williams said, “but I’m not disappointed in my team.”

Still, as forward James Michael McAdoo pointed out, it sufficed on a basic level because it was a win.

And as point guard Marcus Paige noted, an opener doesn’t necessarily make for a definitive gauge.

“We left some points at the free-throw line. We wanted to get out in transition a little but more than we did,” Paige said. “It’s still early and we’re still working some things out. There’s obviously a high ceiling for this team offensively, when we start making shots.”

McAdoo, a sophomore, supplied career highs of 26 points and 14 rebounds. His was an energetic performance underneath and on the baseline.

And McAdoo would have scored even more, if not for several point-blank misses (he hit 10 of 20 shots from the field) and botched free throws (he went 6 of 11 from the foul line).

“I just wanted to be active and productive,” McAdoo said. “Some of the shots I took didn’t go down, but I just tried to do everything within the system on offense.”

Dexter Strickland, coming off a season cut short by knee surgery, added 13 points. Bullock had five points (on 2 of 4 shooting), nine rebounds, three assists and three steals, and Williams said he operated too unselfishly.

Bullock buried North Carolina’s only 3-pointer. That dropped 84 seconds into the second half. Otherwise, the Tar Heels misfired on the rest of their long-range attempts and finished 1 of 12 from 3-point territory.

“We’re still not as smooth as I want to be, with whoever is in the game,” Williams said.

During one first-half stretch, Paige combined with big men Joel James and Brice Johnson for 12 straight points provided by Tar Heels freshmen.

North Carolina led 38-26 at halftime. By that juncture, McAdoo had scored 15 points, two shy of equaling his previous career best.

Max Landis and Donta Harper had 13 points apiece for Gardner-Webb.

-- TIP-INS …: McAdoo’s highs as a freshman last season were 17 points and nine rebounds, collected on separate occasions. Friday night marked his 39th college game and first with double-digit rebounds. … McAdoo cramped up toward the end of the game and still was feeling the effects during postgame interviews with reporters. … The Tar Heels’ starting unit consisted of Paige at point guard, Strickland and Bullock on the wings and McAdoo and Desmond Hubert in the post. Hubert struggled. James (six points, four rebounds, four fouls) replaced him in the lineup that opened the second half. … Paige finished with six points on 3-for-9 shooting from the field. He didn’t register an assist and was charged with four turnovers in 28 minutes. … North Carolina sophomore guard Luke Davis, a transfer from Gardner-Webb, went scoreless in three minutes of playing time. He was credited with one assist. … The Tar Heels face a quick turnaround. They play host to Florida Atlantic on Sunday afternoon in a game that’s part of the mainland portion of the Maui Invitational.